Friday
is a board game for the solo player in mind. It’s a
deck-building game where you create a fighting deck to overcome island
obstacles. Eventually you’ll fight two pirates to escape the island. Besides
the usual obstacles you’ll encounter, you’ll have an opportunity to build your
deck with special abilities and weapons. However, aging is simulated, which
adds negative aspects to your fighting deck.

SETUP

The game sets up rather quickly, no matter what level you decide
to choose. In two to three minutes, you’re ready to play! There are three decks
to separate (fighting, obstacles, and aging) and two pirates to randomly select.
The markings on the fighting and aging deck make them easily discernible. It’s
not difficult to learn where you place the components, but after a few plays,
you may alter how you set them up depending on your play area. For example, I
typically keep the Life Meeples I’m spending in the box.

Typical Setup

GAMEPLAY

Gameplay involves drawing two obstacles and deciding which one
of them you’ll fight while keeping some things in mind: what could be left in
your fighting deck, the cost of the obstacle card, what ability is listed (if
any), and if the card score adds to the potency of your fighting deck. Once you
choose a card, you draw up to the number of cards you’re allowed (indicated by
the white number). If you don’t match the cost (the red, yellow, and green
numbers) from your fighting cards in the maximum number you’re allowed, then
you’ve failed. You do have the option to spend Life Points to continue to draw
cards, but it’s a slippery slope between really wanting a card and letting it
go.

Game in Session

You start with the green numbers, and when the obstacle deck
runs out, you up the cost. Then again for the third round. Hopefully by then,
you’ve built up your deck enough to start getting some of the more powerful
cards.

Of course, to hinder you even more, when you go through fighting
deck, you add an Aging card on your next shuffle. There are some brutal Aging
cards that lower your fighting cards’ scores, make you subtract from your total
card score, and remove life.

If you go through the obstacle deck three times, it’s the moment
you’ve been waiting for! Battle pirates and get off that island! Thought you managed your fighting deck and
Life Points well? You’ll find out during the Pirates phase. They also have a
score

you must meet to defeat them as well as the maximum number of
cards you can draw from your fighting deck.

Pirate Cards

During this phase, if you need to draw more cards when you hit
the maximum, it costs two Life Points
instead of one!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Friday is a tough game. But if it was easy, then you’d get
bored. There are several strategies you can undertake, so it depends on your
play style. Do you focus on saving Life Points? Do you get the good cards in
the first round while they’re cheap? What about getting rid of the bad cards in
the first round? Should you think short-term or long-term? On my last ten play
sessions, I made it to the Pirate round four times, beat one of the pirates
three times, and never beat both pirates once.

Obstacle Cards

With four difficulty levels, you can progressively make the game
even harder as you succeed. Setup is quick and the instructions are
understandable. Total footprint of the game is nice: it’s a good coffee table
or small table game. The card art is fun and campy, and game sessions are short,
which makes it a great game to waste away your lunch break with or to take on
vacation.

I recommend Friday for gamer who loves solo games. It’s
challenging enough and has great replay value. You will get frustrated, but be
honest with yourself: how hard are you really trying to get off the island?